Shock from Plummeting K-POP Album Sales...19% Drop Marks First Decline in 9 Years

A red light has been turned on for the K-POP album industry. Physical album sales, which reached a record high of 116 million units last year, plummeted by 19% this year to 93.14 million units, ending a nine-year upward trend that began around 7.3 million units in 2014. According to the Circle Chart from the Korea Music Content Association (KMCA), cumulative sales from January to November this year fell by over 11 million units compared to the same period last year. Even if December’s figures are included, it is expected that the annual sales target of 100 million units set last year will not be reached. The number of million-selling albums (those selling over 1 million units) also dropped sharply. There were only 20 such albums this year, 13 fewer than 33 in the previous year, and none of them achieved sales of over 5 million units. This contrasts sharply with last year. Boy groups SEVENTEEN and STRAY KIZ sold 5 million units each last year, but this year SEVENTEEN sold only 3 million units (a triple million-seller), while STRAY KIZ sold 2 million units (a double million-seller). The number of artists with cumulative album sales of 1 million units dropped to 24 groups, two fewer than the previous year. Sales of “gubo” albums (albums released over six months ago), which serve as an indicator of new fan growth, also worsened. In the first half of this year, the sales volume of gobo albums in the Circle Chart’s Top 400 Albums chart was 3.3 million units, a decrease of 2.37 million units (41.7%) compared to the same period last year. This indicates a significant reduction in new fans. Album exports also experienced negative growth for the first time in nine years. According to customs import and export trade statistics, album exports in the first half of this year amounted to $130,321,000 (approximately 192.7 billion won), a 2.0% decrease from the same period last year. The number of countries where albums were exported increased to 85, but major export destinations such as Japan, the United States, and China still accounted for 73.3% of total exports. Among these, exports to the United States increased by 19%, while exports to China have shown a continuous downward trend since 2022. The industry attributes this to the “bubble burst” in the overheated album market last year. Choi Kwang-ho, secretary-general of the KMCA, said, “We expected some adjustment in sales volumes due to the overheating of the album market last year, but we didn’t anticipate such a sharp drop. A 20% decline in just one year represents a serious crisis from an industrial perspective.” Negative industry news also had an impact. The “2025 South Korea Content Export Outlook Report” released by the Korea Content Agency on the 18th stated that “conflicts between HYBE and ADOR, as well as misconduct by K-POP idols, have caused fatigue within the K-POP industry.” Singers suspected of engaging in tempering (pre-contact with third parties during contract periods) include EXO, NewJeans, along with FIFTY FIFTY last year. Music critic Kim Yoon-ha said, “It’s difficult to claim that disputes between singers and their agencies immediately affected album sales,” but added, “It is definitely a negative factor, and considering its potential long-term impact on overall K-POP consumption, it is the worst possible factor.” However, there is still hope for next year. BTS will see its members complete their military service one after another starting in June, with new songs expected to be released within the year. BLACKPINK and G-Dragon have also announced new works, and fourth-generation K-POP groups such as aespa, ILLIT, IVE, Riize, and ZeroBaseOne are planning new song activities for 2025.